On Anti-Semitism, Boycotts, and the Case of Hermann Dierkes: An Open Letter from Jewish Peace Activists

Like many of these other Jewish scholars, activists, students, historians, writers, journalists, etc., I too strongly condemn Israel for what has done in the occupied terrirtories, and most recently, Gaza, and I feel that products that support Israel's violence, occupation and oppression in these areas from the occupied territories and Gaza should be boycotted.
With that stand, I am against Israel as a whole, since not everything Israel has done and produced has been bad. I think that we also need to focus on what needs to be boycotted, and what should not.
However, I do understand why several of these Jewish allies prefer to boycott Israel as a whole, since for one, products that are produced in the Occupied Territories (ex: Ahava Dead Sea lotion and skin products) are produced in the West Bank, but when exported they will just say "made in Israel." This leads to a lot of ambiguity over what is actually produced in Israel proper (within the Green line) versus what was actually made/produced in the occupied territories.
Being a socially contious shopper/consumer this leads to a lot of problems over knowing what was produced on moral standards versus which were not. And this can be problematic. So I understand why the others are chosing to boycott Israel as whole.
I am still in a state of confusion over this. I don't support anything that supports Israel's occupation. On the other hand, I do support Israel, just not its actions

Blessings
Stephanie :)

http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2009/03/30/3171/

On Anti-Semitism, Boycotts, and the Case of Hermann Dierkes:

An Open Letter from Jewish Peace Activists

March 30, 2009

By *Authors Many*

We are peace activists of Jewish background. Some of us typically identify
in this way; others of us do not. But we all object to those who claim to
speak for all Jews or who use charges of anti-Semitism to attempt to squelch
legitimate dissent.

We have learned with dismay the allegations regarding Hermann Dierkes, a
trade unionist and leader of the Left Party (DIE LINKE) in the German city
of Duisburg. Dierkes, in response to the recent Israeli assault on
Gazaexpressed the view that one way people could help Palestinians
obtain
justice would be to support the call of the World Social Forum to boycott
Israeli goods, so as to put pressure on the Israeli government.

Dierkes has been subjected to widespread and vitriolic denunciations for
anti-Semitism, and accused of calling for a repeat of the Nazi policy of the
1930s of boycotting Jewish products. Dierkes responded that "The demands of
the World Social Forum have nothing in common with Nazi-type racist
campaigns against Jews, but aim at changing the Israeli government's policy
of oppression of the Palestinians."* *

No one has made any claims of anti-Semitism against Dierkes for anything
other than his support of the boycott. Yet he has been accused of "pure
anti-Semitism" (Dieter Graumann the Vice-President of the Central Jewish
Council), of uttering words comparable to "a mass execution at the edge of a
Ukrainian forest" (*Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung* editorialist Achim
Beer), and of expressing "Nazi propaganda" (Hendrik Wuest, General Secretary
of the Christian Democratic Party).

We signatories have differing views on the wisdom and efficacy of calling
for a boycott of Israeli goods. Some of us believe that such a boycott is an
essential component of a campaign of boycott, divestment, and sanctions
that can end the four-decade-long Israeli occupation; others think the
better way to pressure the Israeli government is with a more selective
boycott focused on institutions and corporations supporting the occupation.
But all of us agree that it is essential to apply pressure against the
Israeli government if peace and justice are to prevail in the Middle
Eastand all of us agree that a call for a boycott of
Israel has nothing in common with the Nazi policy of "Don't buy from Jews."
It is no more anti-Semitic to boycott Israel to end the occupation than it
was anti-white to boycott South Africa to end apartheid. Social justice
movements have often called for boycotts or divestment, whether against the
military regime in Burma or the government of Sudan. Wise or not, such calls
are in no way discriminatory.

Violence in the Middle East has indeed led to some acts of anti-Semitism in
Europe. There was a call to boycott Jewish-owned stores in Rome that was
widely and appropriately condemned. We deplore such bigotry. Israel's crimes
cannot be attributed to Jews as a whole. But, at the same time, a boycott of
Israel cannot be equated with a boycott of Jews as a whole.

An acute and disturbing form of racism rising in Europe today
isIslamophobia and xenophobia directed at immigrants from Muslim
countries. Dierkes
has been a champion in defense of the rights of immigrants, while some of
those who accuse all critics of Israel of being anti-Semitic often
participate themselves -- like the Israeli government and state -- in such
forms of racism.

The Holocaust was one of the most horrific events in modern history. It is a
dishonor to its victims to use its memory as a bludgeon to silence
principled critics of Israel's unconscionable treatment of Palestinians.

[We have spent just a week gathering names on this letter, circulating it
only in a few countries. We apologize to all those who would have liked to
sign, but didn't get a chance or whose names arrived too late for inclusion.
For information on how you can help support this effort, please contact
Dierkes.Letter@gmail.com.]